Apparatus for pressure rolling soaps and similar products

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for refining soap and similar products wherein the paste is extruded into a pressure chamber from which it is urged between two rolling rolls of different peripheral speed which cause said paste to be mixed and pulped, assuring a high degree of refining by a single rolling traverse.

O United States Patent 1 91 1111 3,7 Mazzoni June 26, 1973 [54] APPARATUS FOR PRESSURE ROLLING l,898,333 2/1933 Asche 425/20! ps AND slMlLAR PRODUCTS 2,190,615 2/l940 Thunnan .1 252/371 X 2,254,996 9/1941 Clayton 252/311 x Inventor: C n a pp lt Nlevo 2,711,637 11 1956 Silvaay et al 425/363 )1 Busto Arsizio, Italy [22] Filed; Mar, 8, 1971 Primary Examiner-Robert D. Baldwin Y T pp No: "L801 Attorney oung & hompson Foreign Data Man I970 Ilaly 955 N70 Apparatus for refining soap and similar products wherein the paste is extruded into a pressure chamber U- CI 425/201 252/37]. 425/363 from which it is urged between two rolling rolls of dif- [51] Int. Cl Clld 13/10 ferem peripherfl speed which cause Said paste to b [58] Field of Search 425/201, 363; mixed and pulped' assuring a high degree f fi i by 252/37; 100/176 a single rolling traverse.

[56} References Cited 6 Claims, 3 Dra i g Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,994.9l3 8/l96l Y Holman .t 425/201 X PAIENFEDaunzs 1915 3.741. 705

SHEET 1 OF 2 /7 o/jw/jfi Z I 7 m INVENTOR ATTOR NEYS PAIENIEUJUIZG ma 3.741.702

sum 2 or 2 INVENTOR (Am 0 MAZZO/V/ ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR PRESSURE ROLLING SOAPS AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS Soap is conventionally refined by product mixing and refining by successive drawings or extrusions through properly fine or close-mesh nets.

The novel apparatus comprises a compression chamber so shaped as to enable, on the one hand, its sealing connection with the outlet mouth of a singleor multiscrew extruding machine or other extrusion means and, on the other hand, to assure the sealing pressure supply for a pair of rolls operating at different speeds and provided with means for separating the refined product therefrom.

The defects to be found in the conventional apparatus and avoided by the present invention are as follows:

a. multi-extrusion refining through close-mesh nets has the disadvantage that the useful overall crosssection area for soap passage through the refining nets will continuously decrease during the process due to progressive plugging in the nets (because of hard granules in the soap) and this would require the replacement of the nets by the operator, thus interrupting the continuous working process, unless using wider-mesh nets, however reducing the obtainable refining degree;

b. refining as provided by conventional multi-roll rolling machines has the disadvantage of problems in supplying the rolling machines, due to the expanded physical state of the product moving thereto, so that it is difficult to achieve a constant hourly output, the latter being also affected by the processing product temperature and composition.

Furthermore, in order to provide a final thin rolling without unduly reducing the hourly output, it is required to use a plurality of rollers, that is a plurality of traverses with gradually decreasing rolling thicknesses.

Of course, the use of multi-traverse, multi-roll rolling machines gives rise to complications in construction, complication in adjusting rolling thicknesses, and heating in the product, which adversely affects the working process for the product following the rolling machines (product compression and bar extrusion, cutting, forming, wrapping and packing).

The cooling system by water circulation within the rolls of the rolling machines (to limit the product heating), owing to constructive requirements of the rolls, is generally scarcely effective due to high thicknesses be tween water flowing within the rolls and product being rolled, and because of the limited heat exchange surface.

The power drain or consumption required for rolling a product in conventional rolling machines is high, in view of the need of many traverses and uneven supply of the product throughout the useful rolling length of the rolls, particularly at the first traverse.

The novel device according to the invention, while providing a very fine rolling, that is of the same amount as the last traverse in conventional soap rolling machines, enables one to obtain such a rolling by a single traverse, and this owing to pressure supply as provided by sealingly connecting the pressure chamber to a singleor multi-screw extrusion machine on one side and to a pair of rolling rolls on the other side. In addition to assuring an even flow of the product throughout the useful length of the two rolling rolls (which at the same output permits one to limit the useful length of the rolls with all of the resulting advantages in assembly strength and sturdiness), the pressure supply provides for a substantially higher hourly output under the same size and operating conditions of the rolls, a substantially lower power absorption, and correspondingly less heating of the product being processed.

The novel device is provided with a cooling water circulating system; moreover, having very small airexposed surfaces on which the soap film will adhere, as compared with multi-roll rolling machines, and higher operating speed at the same output, and lower processing temperatures, it minimizes the loss of valuable volatile substances which are normally added to bath-soaps.

The accompanying drawings diagrammatically show the device embodying the invention, and more particularly FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the pressure chamber in a direction perpendicular to the rolling rolls;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the axis of the rolls, of which one is shown in a side view; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section showing a variant in the end of the pressure chamber, in a direction perpendicular to the rolls.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the device comprises a pressure chamber 11, of which two walls 11', 11" are converging to form a guide conduit terminating in a rectangular supply mouth 30 to the rolling passage, while a third open wall 11" is applied against the outlet mouth of an extruding machine 25; a pair of rolling rolls 1 and 2 driven by a motor M through a belt drive 3 and a pair of gears 4, 4' having a different number of teeth, so as to provide a higher speed for roll 1 relative to roll 2; two worm and worm wheel means 5 and 5, not completely shown in the drawings, driven by two handwheels (also not shown in the drawings) adjusting the clearance between said two rolls 1 and 2 by rotation of eccentric supports 6 and 6'; two cooling water circuits (one for each roll), as shown in FIG. 2, having adapters 7 for sealing water flow to the rotating rolls and free drains 8; two scraping knives 9 and 10 (FIG. 1) wherein the blade pressure is adjustable, the chamber Il being connected by tilting type of tie rods 26 (FIG. 1) to the extruding machine 25 and by tie rods 27 and 28 to the stand for the rolling pair 1, 2. This stand is formed of four angle bars 19, 20, 21, 22 connecting the sides 23, 24 (FIG. 2) for assuring the assembly strength or stiffness. By this arrangement the novel device can be easily and readily disassembled, enabling the screw 29 of extruding machine 25 (FIG. 1) to be disassembled without any mutual movements.

Adjacent the supply inlet and on the outside of said walls 11' and 11" is chamber 12 which is designed for heating by electric resistance immersed in oil or the like the doughy product passing through the adapter 30. Heating is regulated by means of a thermostat 13. The pressure chamber is also provided with a safety control gauge 14 which, as the internal pressure exceeds a predetermined value, automatically causes the extruding machine to stop, and a safety breakage disc 15 which is effective in case of failure of gauge 14. The rectangular supply inlet 30 terminates in a flanged connection 16 which by means of tie rods 27 and 28 is tightened on the angle bars 19, 20 forming the stand for the rolling rolls.

The inlet 30 is provided with two adjustable resilient blades 17, the free ends of which bear on the rotating rolls providing for a suitable sealing along with sides 18 and the two head walls 18'.

The laminated product, as scraped off and made in to rolled up sheets by knife 9, continuously emerging from the two rolling rolls 1 and 2, receiving almost the total amount of the product (due to the high speed of roll I), can be picked up (with the product scraped off by knife on a conveyor belt or other collecting and- /or conveying means.

The assembly of the mechanical elements is carried by the two sturdy side plates 23 and 24 on which the bearings 6, 6' for the rotating members are seated. The side plate 23 carries the oil bath lubricated gear box 31 and a box 32 carrying the water flow connections 7 and the exhaust outlets 8 for the water exiting from the channels 33 of the cooling circuits running through the interior of the rolling rolls 1 and 2. This device, when inserted in the continuous successive extruding refining lines, enables one to reduce the close meshing of the refining net in the extruding machine supplying it, and to omit the same by accomplishing itself a finer and more efficient refining, since rolling provides for pulping any lumps in the product, which could be missed by the filtering action of the nets.

A variant is shown in FIG. 3 for the outlet end of the pressure chamber 11 to the rolling rolls, this end being in the form of a wedge-like connection 35, conveying the product, as previously compressed by the extruding machine, to an elongated outlet mouth in a direction parallel with the tangent line of the two rolling rolls 1 and 2. The length of this outlet mouth in the form of a slit or a line of holes is slightly less than that of said rolling rolls and has a very small height in a tranverse direction to enable the outlet connection end to reach adjacent the tangent line for the rolling rolls, as shown in the drawing.

As above stated, the outlet end for the wedge-like connection 35 has a set of apertures 35' which may be of different size and shape (such as round, square, rectangular or slit-like), through which the compressed product is drawn to bars reaching the tangent line for said rolling rolls 1 and 2. Due to the combination of thrust pressure by which the bars, regularly distributed opposite the whole length of the tangent line, reach the rolling rolls (owing to the bar consistency and the short spacing between the outlet mouth for the bars and the tangent line of the rolls) and the shearing effect provided by the rolling rolls rotating at different speeds form each other, the product is rolled fully regularly and continuously through the rolls without any fluctuations and obstructions or jammings which, in the absence of a regular product distribution and thrust pressure, often and unforeseeably occur (due to several physical and environmental factors, such as moisture, atmosphere temperature, and product temperature) in conventional multi-roll rolling machines.

These regularity and continuity properties of the product flow through the rolling rolls are a feature of the present invention.

Unlike the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the variant shown in H6. 3 avoids exerting the pressure of the product, in the connecting head between the extruding machine and the rolling pair, directly on the rolling rolls and this is accomplished by inserting the apertured diaphragm 35, 35', through which the product in regularly distributed bars reaches the tangent line for the rolling rolls. The improved device of FIG. 3 has the advantages that it avoids subjecting the rolling rolls to very high thrust pressures; does not require any efficient seals at high pressures between stationary and rotating elements; and does not require any safety devices in the event of possible operating irregularities in the pair of rolling rolls (such as, unforeseen stoppage of the machine or other abnormal causes), which might cause product jammings upstream of the tangent line of the rolling rolls, since in such a case the product would be freely vented at the roll ends without any adverse results.

Now, the connection 36 is merely effective as a box containing the wedge connection 35 and is open at the top and at the side ends (not shown in the drawing).

Frame 34 bears against frame 16 carrying the ends 11', 11'', for the chamber 11 which is connected to the extruding machine for supplying the product being compressed.

The compressed product in the wedge connection 35 is extruded through the holes 35' substantially equally spaced apart on the long narrow wall opposite the tangent line of the rolls, so that the rolling pair is continuously and rationally supplied.

Without detracting from the advantages provided by the continuous successive extruding mixing and refining systems, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages and restrictions thereof, by providing the advantages as given by the rolling refining system which, by its tangential action on the product (the peripheral speed of the rolling rolls being mutually different) will improve mixing and refining, but without exhibiting the shortcomings and restrictions peculiar to conventional rolling machines.

What is claimed is 1. Apparatus for pressure rolling material comprising soaps and similar products, comprising a pressure chamber, extruding means for extruding said material into said pressure chamber, a pair of rolling rolls, means driving said rolls at different peripheral speeds, said pressure chamber having a narrow elongated outlet mouth for supplying said material between said rolls, means for heating said material prior to passage of said material through said outlet mouth, means for removing said material from said rolls, and means for cooling said rolls.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said cooling means comprising a cooling water circuit for each said roll, each said circuit having two independent helical spiral channels, one of said channels being a forward channel and the other of said channels being a return channel.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and control means responsive to the pressure in said pressure chamber for stopping said extruding means when the pressure in said pressure chamber exceeds a predetermined pressure and for restarting said extruding means when said pressure falls below said predetermined pressure.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, and a safety breakage member in a wall of said'pressure chamber, said safety breakage member rupturing at a pressure substantially higher than said predetermined pressure in the event of failure of said control means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said outlet mouth having a wedge-like end that terminates in a plurality of regularly spaced holes therealong through which said material is extruded to the rolls.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said means for removing said material from said rolls comprising a scraper individual to each roll.

i i i i 

1. Apparatus for pressure rolling material comprising soaps and similar products, comprising a pressure chamber, extruding means for extruding said material into said pressure chamber, a pair of rolling rolls, means driving said rolls at different peripheral speeds, said pressure chamber having a narrow elongated outlet mouth for supplying said material between said rolls, means for heating said material prior to passage of said material through said outlet mouth, means for removing said material from said rolls, and means for cooling said rolls.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said cooling means comprising a cooling water circuit for each said roll, each said circuit having two independent helical spiral channels, one of said channels being a forward channel and the other of said channels being a return channel.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and control means responsive to the pressure in said pressure chamber for stopping said extruding means when the pressure in said pressure chamber exceeds a predetermined pressure and for restarting said extruding means when said pressure falls below said predetermined pressure.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, and a safety breakage member in a wall of said pressure chamber, said safety breakage member rupturing at a pressure substantially higher than said predetermined pressure in the event of failure of said control means.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said outlet mouth having a wedge-like end that terminates in a plurality of regularly spaced holes therealong through which said material is extruded to the rolls.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said means for removing said material from said rolls comprising a scraper individual to each roll. 